Effect of fixation upon the histochemistry of glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) in intraoral wounds.

Intraoral wounds and biochemical films were examined to determine the best method of fixation for glycosaminoglycans. Tissues fixed in 1% cetyl pyridinium chloride-10% formalin stained intensely with preparations of Alcian blue. When these tissues were treated with Streptomyces hyaluronidase and bacterial chondroitinases, staining was comparable to untreated tissues fixed in only 10% formalin. The addition of cetyl pyridinium chloride to formalin fixatives was a requirement for glycosaminoglycan histochemistry in open wounds, and presumably in other tissues that contain these complex sugars.